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Day: December 29, 2021

PREP HOOPS: Carthage squads earn tourney wins, advance to semifinals

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

CARTHAGE GIRLS 57, LEBANON 56

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Carthage’s girls knocked off third-seeded and previously undefeated Lebanon 57-56 in the quarterfinals of the Pink & White Classic on Tuesday at Drury University.

The 11th-seeded Tigers (5-4) advanced to the Pink Bracket’s semifinals, where they’ll take on second-seeded Republic at 4 on Wednesday.

“Huge win for the program today,” Carthage coach Scott Moore said. “The girls played so hard against an undefeated Lebanon team. We controlled the pace of the game from the tip to the final buzzer. I’m so proud of how hard these girls are playing right now. They are so fun to coach and the fans are really enjoying our brand of basketball.”

Junior guard Kianna Yates led Carthage with 22 points.

“Kianna Yates is a constant catalyst for our team and she’s playing amazing basketball right now,” Moore said. “When she’s in control, the rest of the girls feed off of her energy and we get to another level.”

Also for the Tigers, Maggie Boyd scored 15 points, while Lauren Choate contributed eight points and Daniela Marquez had six.

“Freshman Maggie Boyd had a great game today,” Moore said. “She plays so hard on both ends of the floor and in positions 1-4 for us. Her activity and position flexibility allows us to play big or small whenever we want.

“Fellow freshman Lauren Choate raised her game today and hit a couple of crucial threes for us. She was slowed by an early-season injury and is just now getting up to full varsity speed. She will continue to improve with every minute she plays.

“Junior Daniela Marquez is providing great energy for us. She’s getting a ton of rebounds, loose balls and steals. Not always showing up under her name in the scorebook, but definitely helps us win these competitive games.” 

Carthage trailed 18-9 at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers outscored the Yellowjackets 20-16 in the second period, and trailed 34-29 at the break.

The third quarter was even, 14-14, and Lebanon was clinging to a 48-43 lead entering the final period.

Carthage outscored Lebanon 14-8 in the fourth quarter. 

Yates made a go-ahead free throw with four seconds left. The second attempt was off the mark, but the Tigers’ point guard secured the offensive rebound and time expired. 

Lebanon fell to 8-1. Raegan McCowan paced the Yellowjackets with 25 points. 

 

CARTHAGE BOYS 60, LINCOLN PREP 37

ROLLA, Mo. — Second-seeded Carthage built a 16-point lead by halftime and never relinquished the advantage in the second half to earn a 60-37 win over seventh-seeded Lincoln Prep at the 35th Rolla US Bank Holiday Invitational. 

The Tigers were up 14-6 at the end of the first quarter and then outscored Lincoln Prep 15-7 in the second period to take a 29-13 lead into the break.

Carthage led 43-25 by the end of the third quarter. 

Max Templeman scored 19 points and hit two 3-pointers to lead Carthage, while Clay Kinder added 13 points. Joel Pugh and Justin Ray contributed nine points apiece for Nathan Morris’ Tigers. 

Carthage, now 7-1, will meet Warrensburg at 4 on Wednesday in the semifinals.  

 

NHC ROUNDUP: McDonald County, Lamar earn wins in Black Bracket; Maumelle, Mills University earn dominant Gold Bracket wins

Posted on by Lucas Davis

McDonald County found little resistance in the first half while building an insurmountable lead on the way to an 80-66 win against Maumelle JV in Black Bracket play on Tuesday.

The Mustangs outscored Maumelle JV by eight in the first quarter and eight in the second quarter to build a lead too great for a rally.

McDonald County won the points in the paint (56-34), points off turnovers (29-19) and the bench points (19-11) categories in the win.

Teddy Reedybacon led McDonald County with 20 points and 18 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Sterling Woods added 19 points and five assists, while Eli McClain added 16 points and Cole Martin 11 points.

Evan Taylor had 17 points to lead Maumelle JV, while Elijah Newell added 14 points and nine rebounds and Dajon Brown 11 points.

McDonald County battles Lamar at noon on Wednesday in the Black Bracket semifinals.

Crooked Oak takes on Maumelle JV at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the junior high. 

 

LAMAR 59, CROOKED OAK 57 (OK) (OVERTIME)

Crooked Oak took a 10-point lead after the first quarter before Lamar rallied for the win in overtime in the opening round of Black Bracket play in the Neosho Holiday Classic.

Crooked Oak outscored Lamar 18-8 in the first period to build a lead before Lamar cut the lead to four by the start of the fourth. The Tigers forced overtime by the end of regulation and upended Crooked Oak in the extra four-minute period to advance in the winner’s bracket. 

Lamar, which shot 49 percent as a team, had three players in double figures, with Conner Shoff leading the way with 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. Mason Gastel added 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Joel Beshore finished with 10 points in the win.

McDonald County battles Lamar at noon on Wednesday in the Black Bracket semifinals.

Crooked Oak takes on Maumelle JV at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the junior high. 

 

HUNTSVILLE (ARK) 62, MONETT 48

Huntsville turned a four-point lead after the first quarter into a double-digit margin by halftime and pulled away in the third period on the way to the win.

Leading 22-18 after the first quarter, Huntsville outscored Monett by eight in the second quarter and six in the third to build a 54-36 advantage with eight minutes to play—a lead the Cubs wouldn’t make a run out before time ran out.

Huntsville had the advantage in paint points (36-24) and second-chance points (15-6), while winning the turnover battle with 10 to Monett’s 16.

Hayden Dotson led Huntsville with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, while Mason Davidson had 15 points and eight rebounds. Kolton Reynolds and Kole McElhaney each finished with 10 points.

Blaine Salsman had 12 points to lead Monett in scoring, with Cameron Erwin finishing with nine and Wyatt Sitton-Barrows with eight.

Huntsville battles Neosho at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the semifinals, while Cassville plays Monett at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the junior high.


GOLD BRACKET

MAUMELLE (ARK) 104, MEMPHIS MITCHELL (TEN) 89

Maumelle scored 23 points in the first quarter and didn’t slow down on the way to the win over Memphis Mitchell.

Maumelle scored 29 in the second quarter to build a 52-37 lead. Maumelle added a 27-point third quarter and a 25-point fourth quarter en route to the win.

Maumelle had 62 points in the paint and outscored Memphis Mitchell 22-13 in second-chance points and almost doubled them in rebounds, 42-25.

Maumelle had five players in double figures and three players scoring more than 20 points in the win. Carl Daughtery led the way with 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting, while Colby Garland and Nico Davillier each finished with 21 points in the win. Davillier added 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double, while Garland added seven assists and five boards. Kaleb Thurman had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Jamaal Summons finished with 10 points and six boards.

Lucas Tyler had 27 points on 12-of-16 shooting to lead Memphis Mitchell, while Kaden Smith had 22 points. Andre Watson had 16 points and Cameron Brown added 13 points and eight rebounds.  

Maumelle plays Morrilton at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the Gold Bracket semifinals.

Memphis Mitchell battles East Newton at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the Gold Bracket consolation semifinals. 

 

MORRILTON (ARK) 54, EAST NEWTON 40

The first and the third quarters were kind to Morrilton in its win over East Newton in opening-round play in the Gold Bracket in the Neosho Holiday Classic.

Morrilton jumped out to a 16-10 lead after the first quarter before stretching that six-point halftime lead to 41-28 by the end of the third quarter before sealing the win down the stretch.

Joseph Pinion had a game-high 23 points to lead Morrilton, knocking down 8-of-15 shots from the field while grabbing five boards and accounting for two assists and two blocks. JaCorey Mosley added 13 points and nine rebounds.

East Newton was led by Marshall Renner in scoring with 14 points and he added seven rebounds and five assists. Gabe Bergen finished with a double-double after scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. 

Maumelle plays Morrilton at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the Gold Bracket semifinals.

Memphis Mitchell battles East Newton at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the Gold Bracket consolation semifinals.

 

JOSEPH LAFAYETTE 50, WEST MEMPHIS (ARK) 47

St. Joseph Lafayette’s Mikey Thomas broke a 47-all tie with a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the win over West Memphis on Tuesday in the opening round of the Neosho Holiday Classic.

Thomas scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead triple, to finish second in scoring for St. Joseph. Camden Bennett led St. Joseph with 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double. 

Kameron Barnes led West Memphis with 16 points and nine rebounds, while D’Quarious Birdo had 12 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Keiarras Townsend finished with 10 points and four rebounds.

West Memphis outscored St. Joseph 26-20 on the paint and 14-8 on second-chance points, but St. Joseph won the turnover battle 18-15 and made the most of them with a 17-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

St. Joseph Lafayette plays Mills University Studies at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. West Memphis plays Sapulpa at 1 :30 p.m. on Wednesday.

 

MILLS UNIVERSITY STUDIES (ARK) 68, SAPULPA (OK) 34

Mills University ballooned a seven-point advantage after the first eight minutes to a 43-14 lead by the intermission and never looked back on the way to the win over Sapulpa in the final game of the opening round of the Neosho Holiday Classic.

Mills University—which shot 57 percent in the third quarter on the way to a 27-11 advantage in the period—dominated inside all game, outscoring Sapulpa 32-8 in the paint, and also won the turnover battle 20-10, which led to a 30-10 advantage in points off turnovers. Second-chance points were also an advantage for Mills University, 16-4, thanks to out-rebounding Sapulpa 38-24 in the win.

Mills University had 10 players score in the win, with three players finishing in double figures. QJ King led the way with 12 points, five assists and four steals. Marcus Kendrick had 11 points and three steals, while Jabrae Shaw finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

Sapulpa was held to 31 percent shooting in the loss and was led in scoring by Gavin Read’s nine points. CJ Hobbs added eight points and had six rebounds and two steals.

St. Joseph Lafayette plays Mills University Studies at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. West Memphis plays Sapulpa at 1 :30 p.m. on Wednesday.

NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Neosho cruises past Cassville to open NHC with win

Posted on by Lucas Davis

NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho opened the game with Cassville on a large scoring run and played with that momentum the rest of the way en route to a 67-40 win in the opening round of Black Bracket play in the 2021 Neosho Holiday Classic on Tuesday.

“I think we play pretty well when we get ahead because we play stout defense and try to suffocate teams as best we can,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “When we play with a lead, we can kind of do some different things—play different guys and stay fresh. It was good to get out to a hot start … jump on top of it and finish it out.”

Neosho (6-2) dominated the turnover battle, 24-10, and used takeaways for a 29-1 advantage in points off turnovers. Neosho also shot 43 percent from the field in the win and converted seven times from the perimeter. 

K’dyn Waters attacks the basket in Neosho’s win over Cassville in the opening round of the Neosho Holiday Classic on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

K’dyn Waters, who was honored before the game after entering the 1,000-point scoring club in Neosho’s 66-36 win over Seneca on Dec. 18, finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He had three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

“He is obviously a great player and we don’t even have to talk about that because he shows it every night,” Culp said. “But he is also a great kid, a great man. He is super polite, is nice to everyone and gets along with his teammates, his teachers and his coaches. He is just a joy to be around and you couldn’t ask for a better move-in (player).”

Carter Baslee added 11 points and five rebounds for Neosho, while Jared Siler finished with 10 points and three boards. Isaiah Green and Kael Smith each finished with seven points. Green added six rebounds, five assists and six steals.

Jonathan Dunbar finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds and four blocks to lead Cassville. Aidan Cook and Timothy Hudson each finished with six points.

The host Wildcats, playing in just their second home game of the season, kicked off the Holiday Classic in a big way, pushing their way to a 15-2 advantage over the first four minutes of action. Waters led the way in the opening surge with eight points, while Smith also knocked down a 3-pointer.

“That was really big,” Culp said of the run. “We hit a couple of 3s and we were getting some steals and runouts. When you jump on a team 15-2, you are usually sitting pretty good if you keep scoring, and we did.”

Neosho pushed its lead to 22-5 late in the first quarter on a Siler 3-pointer.

Isaiah Green scores on the break in Neosho’s win over Cassville in the opening round of the Neosho Holiday Classic on Tuesday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

NHS continued with the momentum into the second quarter, pushing the lead to 20 with 1:30 when Baslee converted inside to make the score 34-14.

“It doesn’t happen very often, but if you can put doubt in a team’s mind in the first half, you are usually in a pretty good spot,” Culp said. “We just kept putting it on them and we weren’t satisfied with a 15-2 run. That was big for us.”

Neosho took a 35-17 advantage into the intermission, but Cassville showed signs of life early in the third quarter, using a 6-2 run to trim the lead down to 14. But Neosho responded to the adversity by outscoring Cassville 14-6 through the rest of the quarter, building an insurmountable cushion for the final eight minutes of play.

“If you are going to beat the good teams, you can’t have long lulls in your game,” Culp said of his team’s ability to stave off Cassville early in the third. “We just reset and made sure the next few possessions really mattered.”

Neosho advances to play Huntsville in the Black Bracket semifinals at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while Cassville takes on Monett at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the junior high.

HOLIDAY CLASSIC GIRLS ROUNDUP: East Newton falls short against North KC; Lafayette, Northside earn convincing wins

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

NEOSHO, Mo. — East Newton’s late rally fell short, as North Kansas City held on late for a 29-22 win over the Patriots on Tuesday in a girls division contest of the Neosho Holiday Classic. 

In other girls games played at Neosho Junior High, St. Joseph Lafayette beat Huntsville 47-32 and Ft. Smith Northside blasted Stoutland 70-20.

In Wednesday’s semifinals, Northside takes on Lafayette at 5, while North Kansas City meets Neosho at 6:30. 

In Wednesday’s consolation games, Stoutland meets Huntsville at 10:30 a.m. and East Newton takes on the Huntsville JV squad at noon. 

 

NORTH KC 29, EAST NEWTON 22

A scoreless first quarter doomed the Patriots in this low-scoring affair.

North KC led 14-7 at halftime.

The Patriots outscored the Hornets 9-8 in the third quarter, but still trailed 22-16 entering the fourth quarter. 

The final frame was nearly even, as the Hornets outscored the Patriots 7-6. 

Josie Guinn scored nine points to lead East Newton (4-4), while Shaw Coburn, Alyssa Coffey, Cameran Clement and Kylee Cole all chipped in three points apiece. East Newton made 8 of 29 field goal attempts.

North Kansas City (3-3) received seven points apiece from LaNicia Parker and Yar Manyiel. 

The Hornets, who made 9 of 28 shots from the floor, out-rebounded the Patriots 27-15.

 

ST. JOSEPH LAFAYETTE 47, HUNTSVILLE (ARK.) 32

The game was deadlocked when Lafayette used a 14-3 second quarter to take control. 

Talicia Byrd scored 16 points to lead the Irish (7-3), while Jazlyn King added 15. Lafayette made 17 of 46 shots (37 percent) and forced 24 turnovers. 

Allisa Pillow scored 15 points for Huntsville (4-7). The Eagles connected on 11 of 42 shots from the floor (26 percent). 

 

FT. SMITH NORTHSIDE (ARK.) 70, STOUTLAND 20

Undefeated Northside led 26-2 by the end of the first quarter en route to a lopsided win.

Three players scored in double figures for Northside, as Erianna Gooden had 15, Khassidy Warr added 14 and Zoey Bershers chipped in 12. 

The Bears, who are now 11-0, made 31 of 61 field goal attempts.

Schona Looney led Stoutland (5-6) with seven points. Stoutland was held to eight field goals in the game. 

 

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

The schedule for Day 2 of the Neosho Holiday Classic is below. 

 

Neosho High School

10:30 am – East Newton vs. Memphis Mitchell – Gold Bracket Consolation

12:00 pm – McDonald County vs. Lamar – Black Bracket Semifinal

1:30 pm – Sapulpa vs. West Memphis – Gold Bracket Consolation

3:30 pm – Neosho vs. Huntsville – Black Bracket Semifinal

5:00 pm – Morrilton vs. Maumelle – Gold Bracket Semifinal

6:30 pm – Mills University Studies vs. St. Joseph Lafayette – Gold Bracket Semifinal

8:00 pm – Three point & Slam Dunk Contest

 

Neosho Junior High School

10:30 am – Stoutland vs. Huntsville – Girls Bracket Consolation

12:00 pm – Huntsville JV vs. East Newton – Girls Bracket Consolation

1:30 pm – Cassville vs. Monett – Boys Black Bracket Consolation

3:30 pm – Maumelle JV vs. Crooked Oak – Boys Black Bracket Consolation

5:00 pm – Ft. Smith Northside vs. St. Joseph Lafayette – Girls Bracket Semifinal

6:30 pm – Neosho vs. North Kansas City – Girls Bracket Semifinal

MORE INFORMATION: Neosho Holiday Classic

NEOSHO HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Neosho girls roll in tourney opener; Wildcats playing with heavy hearts

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

NEOSHO, Mo. — Neosho rattled off 20 unanswered points during a first-half surge en route to a commanding 45-15 victory over the Huntsville (Ark.) junior varsity squad on Tuesday night in an opening-round girls division contest of the 2021 Neosho Holiday Classic.

Up 27-9 at halftime, the Wildcats continued to extend their advantage throughout the second half, eventually forcing a running clock. 

“We played pretty well,” Neosho coach Ryan Madison said. “Obviously, we were playing a JV squad, so you just hope you play well and get a win. I thought we executed pretty well and I thought we did some good things. Overall, I’m pretty happy.” 

The Wildcats were originally scheduled to play Arkadelphia in the opening round, but the Badgers pulled out of the tournament for undisclosed reasons. With that, the Huntsville JV team took Arkadelphia’s spot in the bracket. 

In a game played at Neosho Junior High, the Eagles led 8-7 early, but the Wildcats scored the final eight points of the first quarter, as free throws from Taigen Mitchell, a bucket from Maelynn Garrett and two hoops inside from Reagan McInturff gave Neosho a 15-8 lead.

Neosho’s Taigen Mitchell looks for an open teammate during Tuesday’s game against the Huntsville JV squad.

The Wildcats outscored the Eagles 12-1 in the second quarter, with five different players recording points. Huntsville’s lone free throw came in the final second of the first half after Neosho began the period on a 12-0 spurt that capped 20 unanswered points overall.  

“We weren’t great defensively in the first quarter,” Madison said. “But in the second quarter we only gave them one point there at the end. That was good to see.” 

The Wildcats were up 27-9 at the break. Neosho’s lead went to 32-12 after an old-fashioned 3-point play from Raine Harris. 

Overall, the Wildcats outscored the Eagles 18-6 in the second half. 

Neosho (5-5) relied on a balanced attack, as eight different players scored. 

“If we can keep doing that, it makes us hard to guard,” Madison noted.

A junior, McInturff scored 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting and also grabbed seven rebounds, while classmate Karlee Ellick compiled nine points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

Also for the Wildcats, Harris scored seven points and Mitchell had six. Maelynn Garrett and Carleigh Kinnaird added four points apiece. 

Neosho’s Maelynn Garrett plays defense against Huntsville’s Morgan Limson on Tuesday at Neosho Junior High.

Neosho made 19 of 40 field goal attempts, but converted just 7 of 20 free throws.

Throughout the contest, the Wildcats were able to pick apart Huntsville’s halfcourt defense to get high-percentage shots.

“I thought we ran our offense well,” Madison said. “We were more patient than we’ve been. I felt like we did some good things and got some quick hitters early in our offense. And I thought Taigen Mitchell was really good for us. She played with great energy and attacked the rim. And Jayden Adams came off the bench and ran the point well. Both of those girls got us in our sets.” 

Mena Thomas scored nine of Huntsville’s 15 points. The Eagles from Arkansas made just 4 of 47 shots from the field.

The Wildcats will meet North Kansas City at 6:30 on Wednesday night in the semifinals. North Kansas City knocked off East Newton 29-22.

 

PLAYING WITH HEAVY HEARTS

The Wildcats are playing with heavy hearts after one of their teammates passed away earlier this month in a tragic car accident.

Samantha Hilgenberg passed away on the evening of Dec. 17 after her vehicle left the roadway, struck a tree and caught fire. A junior, Hilgenberg was 17 years old.

“Sami was a fantastic young lady,” Coach Madison said. “She loved being part of the team and just loved being at practice. She was a great, great girl. She’ll always be part of this program. It’s been a tough situation, but I think this has brought us closer together as a team.” 

In addition to being on the basketball team, Hilgenberg was active in FFA and debate and was a member of the track and field squad. 

 

SAMI HILGENBERG OBIT: https://www.clarkfuneralhomes.com/obituary/samantha-hilgenberg

 

 

Neosho coach Ryan Madison talks to his Wildcats during a timeout on Tuesday night at the Neosho Holiday Classic.

 

GIRLS SWIMMING: Joplin takes second at Nevada invite

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

The Joplin High School girls swim team finished second at the Nevada Invitational on Tuesday.

Monett finished first at the meet, while Lamar and Nevada also competed.   

“We had eight swimmers gone due to illness, injury, and holiday vacation,” Joplin coach Juliana Hughes said. “We ended up with only 11 girls who could compete and had to use alternates for our relays, but the girls competed with a lot of grit and heart to walk away with 18 medals and a second place plaque. I’m so proud of their efforts this season.”

Joplin’s 200-yard medley relay team of Emma Langer, Mairi Beranek, Allie Lawrence and Lily Rakes took first place. 

The team of Langer, Beranek, Lawrence and Rakes took second place in the 400 freestyle relay and finished third in the 200 free relay. 

Rakes took first place in the 500 freestyle, with teammate Megan Walser third in the same event. 

The Eagles were second in four individual events. 

Walser finished second in the 200 individual medley, while Lawrence was the runner-up in the 100 butterfly.

Langer placed second in the 100 breaststroke, breaking her personal record time, while Beranek was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke. 

Evelyn Watson was fourth in the 100 fly. 

The Eagles are scheduled to compete at the Ozark Invitational in Springfield on Jan. 8.

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